Again, no memories attached to this, just enjoyment. I’ve nothing really to say because I recognized nothing on this album, except I would know it was Leon Russell anywhere. One song sounded vaguely familiar, he did a couple of Bob Dylan songs and an interesting version of George Harrison’s “Beware of Darkness,” but no recognition of his renditions. Still, a decent workout and an album that will see the light of day again.
There you go Dave. I hope this made you happy.
Leon Russell played with numerous artists like Gary Lewis and the Playboys (Lewis – son of Jerry Lewis) and Glen Campbell in the 1960s, then received recognition as a songwriter when Joe Cocker recorded “Delta Lady.” His style is what I would term country/rock/blues/soul and a bunch of other stuff. Wikipedia reminded me that this was referred to as the Tulsa Sound. He has leant his talents to artists of varying genres, and co-wrote the song “Superstar,” which was originally performed by Rita Coolidge, and recorded by The Carpenters, who had a hit with it, and our own Bette Midler, with Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett. I got to hear about two minutes of Delaney and Bonnie on this, Leon’s premiere solo album. “Delta Lady” is the only one of the songs mentioned so far that is on this album, but it does include “Roll Away the Stone” and “A Song for You.” He plays quite a formidable piano, and his voice is not good, but oh so distinctive. He’s probably best known for his very long hair that seems to merge with his beard and mustache. At 72, his hair style remains the same, it’s just all white now.
A pleasant workout tonight. My mind was somewhere else, on fond and sad memories brought on by my mood and the songs, and I was content with that.
This was another album bought for one song. Todd Rundgren wrote this kinda sexist, yet very catchy tune called “We Gotta Get You a Woman,” but it appeases me to think that both the singer and the subject of the song, Leroy, are kinda idiots. While I liked our last album, Roxy Music’s Avalon, and recognized some of the songs other than “More Than This,” which, by the way I heard on the radio today after not hearing it for years other than the other night, go figure, I did buy it for that one song, as I did this album. However, other than the afore-mentioned Rundgren song, I knew not a note of the others. Surprisingly enough, I enjoyed it. His style is different, even from himself. He’s known for songs not on this album like “Hello It’s Me,” “Bang the Drum All Day” and my favorite, “Can We Still Be Friends,” all different styles, and all not unrepresentative of his sound. Any of them. Personally, I think he’s a little cooler than “Hello It’s Me.”
So, not a great workout, and not a good sing-along, but I was amused. Yes, he’s an amusing guy, that Todd Rundgren.
P.S. No memories pop into my mind from this album, but just try listening to “Can We Still Be Friend” and not come up with some.
P.P.S. Rundgren trivia: he, like Joe Walsh has performed with Ringo Starr’s all-star band, was responsible for getting Meat Loaf produced, and pretty-much raised Steven Tyler’s daughter Liv.
When I first heard the song “More Than This” I was in a department store sometime in the late 1980s. I followed it to where it was emanating the strongest to hear it better. It was one of the most beautiful sounds I’d ever heard, and I couldn’t even make out the words. I asked the young man who was squatting to stock shelves what the song was. It might have been the most unusual question a customer had asked him but he stood and listened, probably thinking I was a little on the nutty side. He played along, however couldn’t identify the song. I then asked if he could make out any words. I had to know what the song was, so we both listened and both determined that all we could recognize was “more than this.” Good thing that’s the name of the song. Remember, we didn’t have internet back then, but somehow, I don’t recall how, I resolutely learned who the artist was and which album the song was on. I knew only a little of Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music but I’d heard them on the radio and seen them on MTV. Now that I have the album, I still don’t know the words, and for the longest time I only knew the three words in the title. It’s still beautiful. It is just so pleasing to my ear with its haunting arrangement that any other versions don’t do it justice. While you can make out the words in the rendition by 10,000 Maniacs and in the good old karaoke try by Bill Murray’s character in the movie Lost in Translation, it really needs Bryan Ferry’s amazing voice, and no other.
You know, you probably shouldn’t exercise after eating a whole 8oz bag of salted pistachio nuts, but I did. A fair workout with the help of Bette again.
This too is a well-played album and was the first Linda Ronstadt record I bought. Know why? Three little words every Linda Ronstadt fan longs to hear – “Long Long Time.” WHAT a killer song. I was a high school sophomore, 14, maybe 15, with a crush on a very lovely looking but dopey senior, who didn’t know me from a hole in the wall. I would play “Long Long Time” over and over, breaking my heart just a little more each time. But that was before I learned to kiss, an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything. So things often work out for the best. To those of you thinking but you said Let it Bleed was the only album you bought because of a guy, may I point out that I bought this because of a song, because of a guy. There’s a difference. Besides, the song has covered a lot of ground since then.
“Long Long Time” was my favorite Linda Ronstadt song, and really, how cute is the album cover. It explains when asked Ginger or Mary Ann (the only two castaways left, btw), most males pick Mary Ann, which would always surprise me. I didn’t even understand the appeal of this album cover for some time. Still, given all that this is not my favorite Ronstadt album. It’s number three out of three. However, I did not realize how much I would enjoy hearing her voice and the songs on all the albums again. Heart Like a Wheel will definitely be making a repeat appearance for listening and singing purposes. I had my apprehensions, after all they are a bunch of love and loss songs, but now I am thankful – practically giddy.
You may wonder why, if I didn’t like The Eagles with their California country sound (I like some Eagles), I would like Linda Ronstadt so much. Yeah, me too. But I’ll tell you this, there is not a song on this album that didn’t come flooding back into my memory and out my mouth. Yes, I know, my poor neighbor, who also has to listen to me chant. These are songs that are imbedded in my brain and with just a mere shake of the head come rushing to the forefront. The album starts off with “You’re No Good,” Paul Anka’s “It Doesn’t Matter Any More” and then into “Faithless Love” written by Linda Ronstadt’s one-time boyfriend J.D. Souther, who harmonizes with her so beautifully on the song. And speaking of harmonies, “Heart Like a Wheel” is far from my favorite song on this record, but the harmony with Maria Muldaur on it (remember “Midnight at the Oasis?) can be rivaled only by the stunning harmony she performs with county great Emmy Lou Harris on Hank Williams’ “I Can’t Help It If I’m Still In Love With You.” The Eagles and Poco are even represented on James Taylor’s “You Can Close Your Eyes.”
The latter two songs are on the second side of the record, which I started after inserting some Bette Midler in, because it was a slow workout, made even more so with the singing going on. I do have to mention that side two began with The Everly Brothers’ “When Will I Be Loved,” which was hard to belt out while doing sit-ups and leg lifts, but I tried. Needless to say, I loved this album then, and I love this album now, and you can scoff at me if you want, but Linda Ronstadt was and is a great talent. And what’s even better is that I really wanted to write tonight.
I was wary, thinking that this may not be the best time for Linda Ronstadt, and I have three of her albums, so it may take a while to get through them. But I must say, so far, so good. I do have very fond memories of all of them though, and absolutely love her voice and style. She is yet another artist with the ability to take songs written by others and make them her own. I’m not saying her rendition of “Desperado” is better than Don Henley’s, it’s not, but it is mighty fine. We first heard her sing “Different Drum” with The Stone Poneys in 1967, which even though it was written by The Monkees’ Mike Nesmith (see, I told you he was the talented one), it was a bit of an anthem to female independence, much like the more daring, in your face, get outta my face, “You Don’t Own Me” written and sung by the fabulous pop icon Lesley Gore in the early ‘60s. Should I be mentioning Janis Ian’s 1975 hit “At Seventeen” here? Probably not, but I just did.
So, even though I think I have not heard these songs in decades, I remembered a lot of the words to “Love Has No Pride” and most of the words to “I Believe in You” (the latter written by Neil Young), and could sing along, I’m sure to the chagrin of my new next door neighbor. It’s not a good exercise album, so I should have added some Bette Midler in, but “Silver Thread and Golden Needles” gave me a good two minute and twenty seconds of a more energetic aerobic workout.
This is the first Stones album I ever bought and it was because of a guy, you know, that guy from back in the H’s – the one that taught me to kiss. Read the Hassles post if you don’t remember. He and his friends were big Stones fans and liked to debate the fate of Brian Jones and who played what on which album. This may well be the only record I bought because of a guy (though I still can’t explain Poco), and even though we just heard a few of the songs on Hot Rocks like “Gimme Shelter,” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “Midnight Rambler,” it was well worth it. This also includes the rude “Live With Me,” which, like with “Under My Thumb,” I’m not terribly proud of liking so much, and has appearances by Leon Russell and Al Kooper. The sleeve says – This Record Should Be Played Loud – and I agree, but as a responsible adult and apartment dweller, consideration for others must come first. It was not exactly played softly, however.
I can’t put my finger on what it was about the Stones that kept me from being a bigger fan, the rudeness maybe, but I will admit they did put out some good stuff. When I saw them last year on the televised 12/12/12 concert, I was amazed that any of them could remain vertical. We all know about Keith Richards and his imitation of a corpse, but Mick Jagger and Ron Wood also look like their faces are being sucked into themselves. They looked fine from the waist down, all wearing black jeans and actually lifelike, lively even. So, while I myself wouldn’t call them the world’s greatest band, I just might refer to them as the most astonishing. Perhaps one of my problems with them was what they did to Marianne Faithfull. Seriously, listen to her version of “As Tears Go By” in the 1960s, and compare it to “Broken English” some 15 years later. I hold them responsible.
So, I didn’t not exercise for three days in a row, I got some Ram in last night. I just didn’t feel like writing, or thinking. Not eating’s not been a problem though.
Disc two of the Hot Rocks set can come along to the Ram list, but I may not use it. However, the whole thing will definitely get pulled out again next ladies night – sans my old friend, who would have been the only one to remember the songs from way back, except for me.
We had a snow day today. I was off yesterday, beginning the day with a facial at my favorite spa GemVie in midtown off of Madison Avenue. My facialist, Agnes, is better than a bartender. I get to tell her my woes and then she pampers me and I don’t wake up with a hangover. I also started the apartment hunting process again, and while it was a slow start, I did go to a diner I like in a neighborhood I’m considering and finished writing a story I’ve been working on. For some reason I get a lot of work done in diners, and I don’t have anything like that where I am now, and the closest diner is uninspiring.
While it was nice to have the two days off, staying home is not recommended in times like these. Yesterday, I ate a whole loaf of cinnamon raisin bread that I had bought for Saturday’s breakfast, and today I ate the bag of pretzels that were meant for Friday night. I did not replenish them, and will not do so until later tomorrow as I cannot be trusted. So the workout, sad to say, was a bit more sluggish tonight as my belly feels a little overloaded.
In the words of Matthew McConaughey, “All right, all right, all right.” Another double album but it’s all early Stones’ hits, so it’s not too shabby. Their songs don’t really conjure up any specific memories for me except watching them on Ed Sullivan and thinking they would not be invited back if Mick didn’t stop banging the mike stand on the stage. However, you can imagine, or you know the number of metamorphoses a girl undergoes from ages 8 through 15. So I’m kind of all over the place as the record progresses, even though this first disc may only take me to 11.
But this was good – a good workout to good, recognizable and singalongable songs. Yes, this first record of the set goes on the Ram alternative list, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the second one goes along with it. I just really hate liking “Under My Thumb” so much. “Heart of Stone” doesn’t make me happy either.
The Walrus Was Paul 